Victoria Wood statue to be repaired following late-night crash

Tuesday, 4 June 2024 16:06

By Adam Clark

The statue of Bury-born comedian Victoria Wood will be heading for repairs following a crash on Monday night.

Police were called to Silver Street in Bury Town Centre last night at around 10pm, where the taxi collided with the statue.

A spokesperson for GMP confirmed, no arrests had been made.

The driver is in hospital, but the injuries sustained aren't believed to be serious or life-changing.

A Bury Council spokesman said: “Victoria Wood was a national treasure, and we are proud to call her one of our own.

“The statue was crowd-funded by Victoria’s brother Chris and from her estate, and maintained by the council. It was made by the acclaimed sculptor Graham Ibbeson and unveiled in 2019. It has been a source of great pleasure to many visitors to Bury, and it’s a huge disappointment that this incident has happened and the statue will have to be removed.

“We are currently making arrangements for the statue to be removed and kept in a safe place while we assess the extent of the damage to it. We will be in close contact with Victoria’s family in deciding what to do next.

“We understand that the police are investigating the incident and that the driver went to hospital with non-serious injuries. The vehicle is a taxi, licensed in Wolverhampton.”

Victoria’s brother Chris Foote-Wood added: “It’s a terrible shock to be told that your sister has been knocked down by a taxi, but Victoria always was tough and her bronze statue even more so. She’ll be back good as new very soon.”

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